Suspected members of the New People’s Army struck again last night in Negros Occidental, by disarming two guards of their firearms before ransacking a cock farm in Brgy. Mahalang, Himamaylan City.

Col. Maximo Caro, 303rd Infantry Brigade commander, said about 14 armed men believed to be rebels, swooped down on the cock farm of Miguel Sola in Sitio Acapulco, Brgy. Mahalang, Himamaylan City, at about 6:30 p.m.

Caro said the suspects disarmed the guards of a .38 caliber revolver and a Cebu-made KG9 gun, and took 19 fighting cocks, before fleeing.

Soldiers of the 11th Infantry Battalion were pursuing the fleeing suspected rebels as of press time last night.

The ransacking incident came a week after the Roger Mahinay Command of the NPA also raided the Maricalum Mining Company compound in Sipalay City, and took away 17 firearms from its company guards and two responding policemen.

Caro said the NPA are no longer ideologues but plain and simple robbers and extortionists, who are now living on banditry activities, because they no longer enjoy the support of the masses.

Military and police records show that rebels also looted P2 million worth of copper wires from the MMC warehouses they had raided April 30 in Brgy. San Jose, Sipalay City.

Follow-up operations of the 61st IB, however, resulted in the arrest of eight suspects in the ransacking of the MMC warehouses, and the recovery of 300 kilos of copper wires and two .45 caliber pistols.

In previous weeks, rebels also raided the farm of the Lumayno family in Brgy. Mina-utok, Calatrava, and took away four firearms, after burning the guard house.

“They have turned into bandits, with no principles and convictions”, Caro said.*GPB